The Grenada gazette., 1887-09-17
STORIES OF PARROTS.
Amusing Stories Of Number of Intellls
gent and Talkative Birds.

Amusing Stories Of . Number ok 1ntelIs
gent and Talkative Birds.
Brehm, the author Of German
work called 'sThe History OF AM.
mails" afflrms that parrots Of the
more intelligent Indian and African
varieties have not only been taught
many phrases which they repeat by
rote, but that they have come to un.
derstand the meaning Of what they say.
and use words independently in their
proper senses. He cites the case of an
East Indian parrot who learned a
large number Of Dutch words in hia
native country. Brought to Europe.
he learned a number of German and
French words in succession. He asked
for water, for food, for playthings
and for chance to get out Of his
cage, which was regularly allowed
him. He did not always use the Ger
man words for what he wanted, in
speaking to Germans. but sometimes
substituted the Dutch words, in their
proper senses. No doubt good many
Of his native scrceches and jabberings
were put down as Dutch by hia
German masters.
Scaliger tells Of parrot which imi.
tated the calls used in the dances Of
the Savoyards, and repeated parts Of
their songs; and Jacques Brunot
French writer, tells of an African par.
rot who danced as be had seen the
people do, repeating as he did SO the
words Of their song: "a little stepl
A little jump! Ion! Ion!"
Menault, another Frcnchman of sci'
ence, tells of famous parrot, for
which Cardinal Bossa paid a hundred
gold crowns because he recited with.
out blunder the Apostles Greed. and
chanted tho maqnifcat correctly.
The story is recorded in English an.
ecdotal collections, if not in grave his.
tories, that parrot belonging to
Henry VIII. once fell in the Thames,
and summoned passers-by to the res.
cue by calling out Help! Help"
The Indian parrot Of whom the &C.
count is given by Brehm, was de-
prived of its mistress by death. It re.
fused to eat, and called outrepeatedly:
Where is madam Where is mad.
amp One Of the friends of the fam.
lily, an elderly Major, once patronized
the parrot by saying to him: Jump
on your perch. Jacko. there's good
bird; jump on your perch!" Jacko
looked as him an instant, contemptu-
ously, and then exclaimed, ''Jump on
the perch, Major. jump OH the perch!'
The French traveller. La Barre. a
very serious and careful writer. tells a
singular story Of all African parrot
called Chrysostom by the sailors on
board vessel which brought La Barre
from Senegal to France. Chrysostom
had belonged to the chaplain of the
ship who had taught him q prayer or
two, and a portion Of the liturgy. On
the voyage the chaplain died. and the
bird continued TO repeat the prayer
that had been taught him. The sail.
ors bestowed upon the parrot the
name of ''the chaplain" and knelt
about his cage in reverent manner
when the bird repeated his prayer.
There is another. aud an unpleasant
side to this picture. however, in the
fact that ''the chaplain" learned some
of the sailors oaths, and added them
to his liturgy. He also learned to call
himself by the title Of 1.-THE chaplain"
and made such speeches as this: Had
your breakfast. Mr. Chaplainp Oh.
yes; oh, yes. Mr.. Chaplain wants a
cracker. Ycs. yes-for the chaplain.
Amen!'' Youths Companion.